Smithsonian Associates Online Programs

This introductory course teaches the basic skills needed for drawing. Working with a variety of materials and techniques, including charcoal and pencils, students explore the rendering of geometric forms, volume, and perspective, with an emphasis on personal gesture marks.

In a series designed to provide a tranquil midday break, create small but satisfying works of art as a way to hit “pause” and incorporate a bit of creativity into your at-home routines.

The Harlem Renaissance (1918–1940) was a period of intense creative productivity and expression for Black culture in the United States. Artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals used their work to demonstrate artistic genius and to advocate for racial equality and social change. Art historian LaNitra Berger highlights the visual artists of the period to understand their creative process, how they approached their art, and how to interpret their work. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

In the last full year of the Civil War, Washington, D.C., came within hours of being invaded and Lincoln within inches of being shot. The strategy was part of a bold and desperate plan hatched by Gen. Robert E. Lee to save the Confederacy and perhaps bring the war to an end—but on the South’s terms. Historian and author Robert Watson recounts this largely forgotten attack on Washington and its defense, as well as the fascinating events surrounding the battle.

In this four-week class, students are introduced to materials and techniques for oil painting while laying a strong foundation for further artistic growth.

Explore spectacular scenery and a geologic overview of Iceland in a virtual field trip led by volcanologist Kirt Kempter. Geologic highlights include the boundary between North American and Eurasian plates; unusual volcanoes that form beneath vast glaciers; famous volcanic eruptions, including those of the small island of Heimaey in 1973 and ice-capped Eyjafjallajökull in 2010; and older historic eruptions that impacted global climate and human populations.

Wildlife producer Mike Gunton offers Smithsonian Associates members an inside look into the making of the new 10-part series “The Americas,” which showcases the wonders, secrets, and fragilities of the world’s great supercontinent. Created by BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio and narrated by Tom Hanks, it reveals the spectacular landscapes of Earth’s most varied landmass—the only one to stretch between both poles. Executive producer Gunton shares insights into the innovative filming techniques, scientific breakthroughs, and unique challenges encountered while capturing some of nature’s most elusive moments.

Military historian Kevin Weddle examines three consequential campaigns that shaped the path and outcome of the Civil War: Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg. He covers the background and the conduct of each and considers how the Union and the Confederacy developed and executed their respective military strategies within the context of a bitter and divisive political environment.

Pablo Picasso reinvented himself every few years with groundbreaking creative developments that would change the course of art. In a 4-part series, art historian Joseph P. Cassar looks at Picasso’s early years, his Blue and the Rose periods, his masterpiece Guernica, and his lifetime of artistic experimentation and innovation marked by playfulness and genius. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

At its peak, the Roman empire extended from Britain to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River. Yet in 476, the last western Roman emperor was deposed. In a 4-part series, historian David Gwynn analyzes the dramatic events which shaped the decline and fall of the Roman empire in the west, exploring the transformation from the ancient to the medieval world that laid the foundations for modern Europe. This session focuses on the fourth-century Roman empire.